My Strongest Suit
by TifaBee
Summary: [OneShot]So, why are you going? A girl. Who? You. [RaceOC][Present Time]


Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the other product mentioned in this fanfic.

* * *

Emily Elizabeth Evret and Kassie and Nicole Higgins are by far the greatest people on the face of this earth, not to mention my best friends. I've known Emily Elizabeth since I was five, and I've know Kassie and Nicole since we were twelve and met at camp, yet we act as if we've all known each other all of our lives. This is one of the reasons we've been called the Bratz: we're a group of four girls who like different things yet are inceperable. I'm a Cloe, sporty, yet brunette, not blond. Nicole is a Jade, because her hair is black and she's really smart. Kassie is a Yasmin, being the best soprano any of us have ever heard, but her hair is more of a sandy brown than a complete brunette, which leaves Emily Elizabeth as Sasha, the cheerleader, but a blond with pale-yet-not-pale skin. 

Every year since we all started going to the camp, we've had this giant sleepover with our camp friends the day before camp started. Nicole and I are altos and Kassie and Emily Elizabeth are sopranos, but we don't just go for singing. I've been playing the violin since third grade, for a total of eight years, while Emily Elizabeth has been dancing for about the same amount of time. Nicole and Kassie are both dancers, but play seperate instruments; Nicole plays trombone while Kassie is a clarinet.

Our sleepover isn't just a way for us to see our friends again; it's a signal that there is only a month and a half left of summer before the school starts. Camp lasts for two weeks in July, followed by four weeks of back-to-school shopping. It was our second biggest sleepover of the summer, the biggest being our sleepover the week before school starts, which is when we pick out our wardrobe for the entire year.

But this year's sleepover is a bit different than the last ones; Nicole and Kassie's brother Racetrack (his real name's Anthony, but no one calls him that anymore) is coming to camp this year. Really it's not much of a complaint; Race is a cool guy, with the most adorable smile. It's just that... _his_ friends are joining this year, too, and they happen to be staying over as well. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but do the math: four unbelievably hot guys -yes, I'm counting Race- in the same house as twenty-two girls, including the four of us.

"Deb's heah!" Race called to us from the front door. Nicole, Kassie and I were sitting on the floor of their new room, which we had just finished designing. Kassie's half of the room was all different shades of blue, and Nicole's half was all purples. The only thing that was the same was the metal desks and the walls. Because we never got our rooms the way they looked in magazines, we painted the top half of the walls a greyish color, and we painted the bottom half to look like fake bricks. We were looking through the glossies (that's what we called them) that came with the Sunday paper, circling clothes we liked and didn't like.

"Y'all started the search without me?" Emily Elizabeth asked once she came up the stairs. For a "southern belle" as she called herself, or debutant, really, since she had a catilion only a few months ago, Emily Elizabeth wasn't the most punctual person ever, yet was hurt is we started something without her. Really, it was a miracle she was never late for class.

"Sorry Deb, but we had to before everyone got here." Kassie rolled her eyes, as if it were obvious. The four of us has nicknames for each other, sort of like Race and his friends. Emily Elizabeth was Deb, or Debutant, because that's what she is; Nicole was Trombone, because that's what she plays; Kassie was Kat, or Katastrophe, just because Kassie Katastrophe sounds really cool; and I was Snickers, because it was my favorite Heshey candy.

It was about a half an hour after Deb finally came that we went downstairs into the living room to get everything ready. Their dining room table was covered in every kind of junk food, along with four cartons of ice cream, three cases of Vitamin Water, and ten refridgerator cases of Pepsi, Sprite, and Coke. We had only started to pour the chips into bowls when we heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." I said, tossing Kass the bag of Doritos I was pouring. I walked out of the dining room and through the kitchen into the living room, where the door was. I was thinking it was one of _our_ friends, but when I opened the door, I found that I was terribly wrong. Standing in front of me with a saxophone case slung over his shoulder was Spot Conlon, hottie and Deb's on-off boyfriend. I frowned when I saw him. Personally, I didn't like him, but he was okay when he was around Deb, so I gave him a little credit.

"Well, if it isn't Spotty the Hottie Conlon. I didn't know you played the sax," I smirked at the expression on his face. The girl's in our school went a bit... gaga over him, and the nickname became very common among lunch tables. But that never fased him. What did was what I said after that, about him playing the sax. My friend Nina had once made a pronunciation mistake when saying 'saxophone' and we started using it. So instead of it coming out as 'sax' it sounded as if I had said 'sex.'

"'Cuse me?" he narrowed his eyes at me. I knew he didn't like me much either, but that never bothered me.

"The sax. The saxophone!" I explained, still pronouncing my 'a's as 'e's. He just frowned at me and shook his head.

"Race heah?" he asked. I nodded and pointed at the stairs. He started walking towards them but stopped once he saw what was coming out of the kitchen.

"Why hello, Spot," Deb smiled and took long, graceful steps at him. He just smiled until she kissed him, which made me -along with Trom and Kat, whom were standing in the doorway to the kitchen- gag. The summer was mainly their on season, while the school year was their off for most of the months. At first we just thought it was cute, but after seeing it happen every five minutes, it gets a_ little _disgusting.

Once they pulled away from each other I saw Racetrack on the steps, smirking and shaking his head. "Please, we enjoy not lookin' at what we juss ate." he commented, saying what was on all our minds. I nodded my head at Deb, who only sighed and rolled her eyes. I looked back over at Kat and Trom, who were looking at... Race? But when I looked at Race, he was looking at... ME!?

"What?" I snapped, trying to hide the hint of 'ZHOMG-he's-looking-at-me!!' in my voice. Deb smirked lightly in Spot's arms. They knew. Just about everybody knew. Except Race, which was odd.

Race just chuckled. "You guys quadruplets or somthin'?" he asked, gesturing to the four of us. I looked down at myself, then at the other, who were doing the same thing. I could see why he asked that; we were wearing the same thing, but different. We each wore a beater underneath a cami with Soffees, just different colors. I had a striped red beater, red polka dotted cami, and red Soffees; Kassie had a striped blue beater, plain blue cami, and blue Soffees; Nicole had a plain purple beater, purple polka dotted cami, and purple Soffees; and Emily Elizabeth had a plain green beater, plain green cami, and green Soffees on. We didn't look _that_ much alike, did we?

"Better... we're best friends," Nicole smirked, glaring at her older brother. Race and I were the same age, both of us being sixteen. Nicole was fifteen, like Kassie, and Emily Elizabeth was the same as Spot and Race's two other friends: seventeen. It was an odd age range for best friends, but we didn't care.

Then the guests started to arrive...

* * *

Alyssa, or Spiker, as we liked to call her, was one of the biggest theatre geeks we knew. And it really didn't bother us, seeing as how we all we a bit geeky ourselves. But Spiker... she outdid herself. For the Friday recital last year, she sang "Show Off" from "The Drowsy Chaperone." We all loved it, and seeing as how she was blocking the TV while singing (we weren't watching anything) we decided to add our own little bits into the song. Even better: Race, Spot, and their friends Jack and David (also A-Class hotties) were watching.

**"Don't try to control me,  
I've made up my mind.  
And that's it. I quit.  
I'm leaving it all behind.**

**I don't wanna be cute no more.**  
**Make the gentleman hoot no more.** _(we all whistled at her)_  
**I don't wanna wear fruit no more.**_ (someone yelled 'Gimme an orange!')  
_**I don't wanna show off."**

And this was where we started singing our little bit.

**"She don't wanna show off no more."**

**"Not me!"**

**"Read her name in the news no more."**

**"Page three!"**

**"Aww Gee, I don't wanna show off."**

**"She don't wanna show off."**

**"I don't wanna show off."**

**"She don't wanna show off no more.  
Off no more!"**

**"Not me. Whee!!"**

We paused while the CD played the little musical interlude. It was fun when you knew the words. Alyssa counted the beats before she started singing again.

**"I don't wanna show off."**

**"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh  
She don't wanna show off  
show off  
don't wanna show off no more."**

**"****Please no more attention  
I've counted to ten!  
And I'm through  
Adeau!  
You'll never see this! **_(Corinne did a back flip while Natasha did a split)_**  
You'll never see this! **_(Kassie did a catstretch)_**  
Never see this!  
Never see that!  
Never see these again!"**

At this point I stood up and sang the next part, as a dare.

**"I don't wanna change key's no more!  
I don't wanna strip tease no more! **_(I shook my shoulders and slid the straps on my cami down my shoulders.)_**  
I don't wanna say "Cheese" no more!  
I don't care if you scoff"**

I sat down after that. That was the only part I really liked in the song, anyway. Besides, when I did my little dance, I swear I saw three jaws drop and one aborably sexy smirk from the males sitting on the steps watching us. Then Alyssa started singing again with us doing our bit.

**"I don't wanna be cheered no more  
praised no more  
grabbed no more  
touched no more  
loved no more **_(I sang that)_**  
I don't wanna show off."**

**"She don't wanna show off."**

**"I don't wanna show off."**

**"She don't wanna show off."**

**"I don't wanna show off."**

**"She don't wanna show off."**

**"I don't wanna show off!  
No more!"**

At that last note, she bowed and thanked us, blowing us fake air kisses. We cheered for her, laughing just because we could. I even got up (okay, Corinne forced me up) and bowed. The guys started hooting, as a joke, so I flipped them off. I knew they were kidding, and so was I, but really, have some dignity.

"Alright, picture time," Allysa (different one this time), whom we call Glam (and her counterpart, Marissa, is Glitz), waved her pink digital camera in the air. I looked over at the stairs to see the boys running from us. I shrugged, not really thinking about it. But then I did think of something; how was Racetrack friends with those guys? Jack was a jock, Spot was a man whore, and David was a journalist. Race was just... Race, the kid with the gambling problem. But as quickly as it came, it went, and I went to post for the group picture we were taking.

Kat was in the back, doing her catstretch, and Nicole was next to her, posing like a ballerina in a music box. Then I was on the other side of Kassie, one foot on the floor, the other in the air, and one hand balancing me as I waved and smiled. Glitz and Natasha was doing splitz and had their arms raised above their head. Everyone else just really did something dance-like and smiled.

"Say cheese!" Glam said, and ran into the picture.

"No more!" we all shouted. Then the flash went off...

* * *

Every night at about the same time, I get up and get a bottle of water. I don't know why, but if I don't, I can't sleep at all after I wake up. But I doubted I'd be sleeping much anyway that night, after what Glam told me. It was honestly something I've been waiting to hear for the _longest_ time, but when I really did hear it, I didn't know how to react to it. 

_"A dress has always been my strongest...  
my strongest...  
my strongest...  
my strongest...  
my strongest...  
my strongest...  
Suit!"_

_I loved my recital piece that I was singing this year. It was my favorite song from my all time favorite Broadway show, "Aida." It was after I finished that Glitz n' Glam (yes, we call them that) waved me into the kitchen. The CD switched to another song and I followed them._

_"Ohmigosh! He likes you!" Glam squealed, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. "He likes you! He likes you! He likes you!"_

_"Who?" I asked, grabbing her arms and stopping her. They both looked at me as if I should have known who they were talking about, but I honestly didn't. Glitz frowned before grabbing my face and yanking my ear to he lips._

_"Race!" she hissed. I gave her a bewildered look when she let me go._

_"Racetrack. Racetrack Higgins? Kat and Trom's brother? The one with the gambling problem?"_

_"YES!" I nearly jumped; everyone that was in the room was standing in the doorway. screaming at me. Even they knew!_

_"How... d'you know?" I asked._

_Corinne gave an exasperated sigh. "Because he's been staring at you all night. Did you see the look he gave you during Show Off?"_

_"And he was totally checking you out when Spot got here!" I was surprised Emily Elizabeth even noticed that while she was staring at Spot; his eyes were entrancing._

_"Yeah, okay, whatever." I waved it off._

Now that I think about it, the more it makes sense: maybe he did like me. Or maybe I just had one too many Dr. Peppers. Could have been either.

It was when I was staring into the fridge -and singing to "The Song That Goes Like This" from "Spamalot" because we left the CD player on- that I heard footsteps. I froze. The only light was the one in the kitchen, which I had dimmed so I wouldn't wake anybody up. So that would mean someone from upstairs...

"Waddya doin' up so late, Doll Face?" Race asked me. I jumped. Just hearing the sound of his voice made my heart do backflips. I swallowed and snatched a bottle of Deer Park from the middle shelf.

"Water," I answered, shaking the bottle. He nodded and took the pack of cigarettes that was on the counter, then searched for a lighter.

"Here," I said. I reached down my cami (yes in front of him) and pulled out a small, red lighter. I always kept one there (yes, down my cami) just in case Emily Elizabeth forgot one again. One day without a cig and she goes crazy.

"Thanks," he said, sticking the cig in his mouth. I held the lighter to the end and lit the thing before putting it back in it's place.

"What're you doing up, anyway?" I asked. He asked me, so I felt it right to ask him back.

"Couldn't sleep," he answered.

I nodded. It was common for people to not sleep at night.

"If you don't mind me asking... why _did_ you join camp this year?"

He sighed and put out his cigarette in the ash tray on the counter. "A goil," he finally admitted.

My eyebrows shot up. Racetrack was going to Music Camp because a _girl_ was there?

"Wow," I said, taking a sip of my water. I felt my cheeks start to get warm. What if it was me? I turned from him and walked farther down the counter. He followed me.

"Yeah... Dat's mainly de only reason Jacky and Dave ah goin', too." he then said. Now I turned around. _Jack Kelly _and _David Jacobs too_? Now this I had to hear.

"Who?" I nearly shouted. Then I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Who?" I whispered.

He just snorted, and I instantly knew who he ment.

"But they're two years younger than them!"

"I know dat, but dey don't care."

"Do something! They're _your_ sisters." I knew Nicole and Kassie were pretty, but did they really do that good of a job? "Wait, then why's Spot going?"

"He really wansta go."

"Wow, he really does play the sax." I shrugged. Race nodded. Then it was quiet, except for the song that was still playing. It was almost over...

"So, whose your lucky lady?" I finally asked. Now it was Race's turn to turn red. He turned his head from me before answering in a mumble.

"Come again?"

Another mumble.

"Speak up."

"You!"

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

"You're drunk." I said simply. No matter how much I wanted to believe it, I couldn't. "That's the only explaination. 'Cause you tend to-"

"You tawk way too much, Doll Face." and he shut me up by kissing me. At first, I wanted to pull back and slap him, but after a while, I just got into it. His arms snaked around my waist, and mine around his neck. Out of all the guys that I have kissed (alright, they were stage kisses!), this was one of the most... I don't think theres even a word to describe it. But it felt good.

"Dude, don't go in there!"

We nearly jumped apart. I knew people talked in their slepp, but really, did they have to be so _loud_?

"I better..." I gestured to the other room, shaking. He wiped his mouth with his palm and nodded his head.

"Yeah, me too." he said. Then he leaned in and gave me on last kiss. "Sweat dreams, Doll Face."

I could have skipped I was so happy. And I did while I was in the kitchen. I couldn't wait to tell the girls what happened.

"Ugh!" _Thump! Splash!_

I tripped over Nicole on my way back to the couch and my water went flying through the air. The girls immediately awoke, wet and furious.

"NELLY!!!"

Guess they'd figure out sooner than I thought.

* * *

A/N: Just a thing I decided to type up on a whim. Don't worry, I'll update Nelly, Not Nelson, hopefull tomarrow. But I have to get a jump on my summer reading, so you never know. Tell me what you think! 


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